JENN and Larry’s Ice Cream Shoppe invites the community to help celebrate 15 years in business
- Connor Luczka
- Aug 28
- 3 min read
CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Sept. 3 marks 15 years of JENN and Larry’s Ice Cream Shoppe serving Stratford’s residents and visitors, and owner Jenn Stacey is inviting everyone to come out and help them celebrate.
The iconic shop, located at 49 York St., has been running since 2010. As Stacey said, it was started in a blink of an eye. She heard about an opening, signed the lease in mid-August for the York Street location, and opened in September, all in the span of a month and half.
“Yes, we opened an ice cream shop in the fall,” Stacey joked. “… How everything fell into place in such a short period of time was a miracle. We opened Sept. 3. I believe it was the Friday of the long weekend … The appeal for this street is because (Stratford Central Secondary School) was just down the street. So once word spread with the students, the students bookended our season.”
In those early days of the shop, it was herself and her father, Larry Stacey, along with her mother Gail Stacey, who longtime Stratford residents may recognize as the proprietors of Larry and Gail’s, a beloved drive-in on the outskirts of Stratford in the 60s and 70s. In later years, her brother Dan also joined the family business.
Stacey credited her parents for the shop’s entire existence, especially in those early years. As she explained, it was her father that pushed her to consider it. She remembers receiving a phone call one night – from someone that she has since tried to remember – about 49 York Street coming up for lease. At the time she had a peanut brittle business, but she knew it was not a brick-and-mortar business on its own.
“Two days later, my son was swimming at his lesson at the (Stratford Lions Pool),” Stacey said. “My mom and dad were watching, and I said, ‘Someone called me about 49 York St. coming up for lease.’ My dad's like, ‘Let's just walk up and take a look.’”
The rest, Stacey said, is history. They purchased their first ice cream machine, since ice cream would complement Stacey’s brittle well, started a business account with a local bank and got to work. She and her father ran the front-of-shop, while her mother did bookkeeping in the back, making sure bills were paid.
There were a lot of hurdles in those early days that the team had to adapt to, but since that time it has flourished. She credits both her family, the staff that would grow over 15 years and the business community on York Street, which Stacey praised for its interconnectedness and charm.
“It’s just incredible what this little street has to offer,” Stacey said. “It’s awesome here … It’s a wonderful community to be part of.”
The business has changed in the last 15 years. Her staff grew and her parents stepped away in 2018, as did her brother in 2016. Additionally, the loss of the high school was a huge blow, with Stacey saying that she still misses the community of students that would come in every day.
Looking back, if Stacey could give herself advice, she would say to remain adaptable.
“I love what I do,” she said. “That is the core foundation of being a business owner. … It’s a commitment. You have to love what you do, and then everything else can fall into place.”
She thanked her family, in particular those that helped at the shop and her husband Michael, and her staff for being part of the shop’s legacy. In the future, the shop remains focused on its fans. They will be moving into the event and catering market, offering office birthday treats, customer appreciation treats, staff appreciation, a “treat the team” package for sports teams, dance, weddings and buck and doe fundraising.
For the celebration on Sept. 3, a regular dipped cone will cost $2.50 that day, in honour of 2025. Staff will be there from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and everyone is welcome to come and celebrate.
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